Beginning of the End
by Alphearia
Summary: Kefka and Xaria  OC  grew up together in the quiet town of Tzen. But one tragic day their entire lives turn upside down. Will their friendship and love for one another stay true despite all the hardships they face?
1. Everyday Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or Kefka…trust me if I did I would have made a FFVI movie long ago…I only own the character Xaria and her family!

This story begins long before Kefka ever entered the Imperial Army or was even infused with Magicite, so don't be surprised if he seems a little off at first. I will however get into more recent events later on. The story basically follows the character Xaria who has been best friends with Kefka since they were too young to remember. I'm going to follow the basic plot of the game itself, but it will be tweaked to fit in Xaria and their whole love thing that's going on…I know, I know! Kefka in a love story! You're probably thinking what ze freak is she thinking…But I got the idea one night while playing Final Fantasy VI (original I know…). I just thought... _'Hmm…what if Kefka was in love…even while he was technically __**insane**__..?_' So this story is what I've come up with! I'll do my best to keep all the character's IC, but don't bash me if I mess up. I hope I actually finish this story…Anyways. Enough of my rambling! Please enjoy Chapter I!

(Story told from Xaria's Point of View)

_Chapter I_

_Everyday Life_

7 years left.

~Royal Republic of Tzen~

I was sitting on the railing of the steps near my grandmother's armor shop twirling a few loose strands of white hair that weren't cooperating with my waist-length ponytail. The day went on as usual. Venders trying to sell their wares, couples walking through the streets holding hands, friends catching up on dinner dates… I looked at the clock tower on the street corner beside me and decided I should probably go back inside soon, it was getting close to dinner time and it was boring without my best friend here. I sighed and hopped down from my perch on the railing. Just as I began walking towards the shop door, I heard footsteps run rapidly towards me. I quickly turned around and saw a small boy with blonde hair in a shoulder-length ponytail running closer to me. He was wearing a bright red shirt and dark blue jeans. He always was one for bright colors…

"Took you long enough! I was waiting here for three hours…" I said to the blonde as he ran up the steps. He stopped and held up his finger signaling to give him a minute to catch his breath. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees to support himself as he breathed in deeply. I impatiently tapped my foot on the hard gray cobblestone streets waiting for him to reply. Five minutes passed and he was still having trouble catching his breath. "Uh, are you ok?" I asked with concern.

"Mom…*huff*…after me…*cough*…poured…*huff huff*…water on her guest…*cough cough*" He said in a choking whisper. His blue eyes were somewhat squinty and he had sweat beads on his forehead.

"I didn't know your mom was having guests over." I put one hand on my waist and gestured in the air with the other. I froze and looked at him again with confusion on my face. "Wait…you poured water on one of them? Why?"

"Mean old lady…*huff*…Santiago…*cough*" He replied in a slightly stronger voice. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with his bright red sleeve and sighed in relief.

"Ah, Santiago…" I shrugged. "Well that's why I saw her come from that direction." I said to myself but loudly enough so he could hear. He nodded and slowly began to calm down. I brushed the strands of hair from my face. "I swear that old lady gives themeanest glares EVER! I think she wants all children to die a slow and painful death…!" I shivered and crossed my arms. I looked down and toyed with a rock beside my left foot. He followed my gaze and watched as I played with the rock.

"Yeah, she gave me a mean glare and I just poured ice water down her back as revenge. I made SURE it was cold too! Got it out of the freezer. After she left, my mom scolded me and chased me around the house with her shoe. I think I escaped her for now….*gulp* I hope..." He said after he was breathing easier. He stood up straight and laughed, only to cough after a few chuckles. I rolled my eyes. "Betcha Santiago won't come back to Tzen anymore!" I looked up at him and laughed. I put my hand on my chest near my neck and cleared my throat making him look at me with a questioning gleam in his eyes.

"Oh, I hope you're right. She's always mean to me and my granny in the shop." I said turning my head and gesturing towards the shop door behind me. The conversation went silent between us while he constantly flicked his eyes to look downstairs to make sure he lost his mom. "So why was Santiago at your house anyways?" I said drawing his attention back to me. He turned his face towards me, but kept his eyes on the streets below.

"All I found out was some business deal with the Empire to the South. Some weapons…thing…I don't know exactly. When I got bored listenin' to that old crone drone on about the monster problem around Vector that's when I threw the water on her, so I never got to find out much else. Not that I'm interested," He said calmly with a shrug as his eyes ran across the seemingly empty streets.

"Monster problem? I think I heard someone talk to my granny about that before. I think it was also around Vector as well. Fishy, fishy." I said with a puzzling look on my face. I turned around and placed my arms on the railing watching the streets.

"Eh, if you say so. I could care less either way. Doesn't bother us any." He leaned against the railing and sat down with his arms crossed behind his head and his eyes closed.

"So, guess you figure you lost your mom for good?" I said after a small pause. I smiled and looked down at his relaxed form. He chuckled and nodded in reply. It was obvious he just wanted to relax after running for so long. I turned my head back to the streets and watched the not-so busy crowd walk aimlessly along minding their own business.

"How was your day?" He said in a casual voice after a long moment of silence, a slight smile on his lips as the breeze began to pick up.

"Boring…like usual. Nothing ever happens here! Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever see anything happen in my life. I may be only six but I still want stuff to happen! I want something exciting! An adventure!" I whined. He laughed again then grew silent. I felt his eyes on me just watching me, studying me closely. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him chew his lip meaning he was deep in thought. He faced the trees again and looked dreamily into the distance.

"What if…I promised that one day, to take you on a grand adventure? The two of us traveling the world! We'll see everything! The Empire, the continent to the North, everything!" He held his arms up in exaggeration as I turned my head to look down at him. He had this faraway look in his eyes like he felt the same kind of restrictions I did in this small town. "I swear it..one day..I'll make it happen." He closed his eyes and smiled. He threw his head back forgetting about the railing. "Ow! That HURT!" I laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well that brightened my day!" I said between laughing fits. The look on his face was priceless. He had a deep scowl as he looked at me laughing. He continued rubbing the back of his head and hardly flicked me on my ankle with his other hand. "Hey!"

"Well that's what you get for laughin' at me." He said, smiling evilly. He rested his head against the railing again with an obvious grimace from the pain.

I sat down beside him and looked deep into the forest. "I wonder what's behind those trees…" I thought aloud. He shrugged and I continued staring into the darkness trying to picture what the land on the other side looked like. I could always smell a salty scent on the air. So maybe the ocean? I've never seen one before… All I've ever looked at were the trees and mountains surrounding our little town.

A sudden sound of footsteps broke my concentration. I turned around and saw a tall woman in a purple dress that came down to her knees running towards the armor shop. She had long blonde hair, almost as long as mine, but hers was tangled and messy from having run for so long. She also had an angry look on her face and murder in her eyes. I looked at the boy beside me and he had a look of dread on his face. He shrunk down beside me trying to hide, but it was too late. The woman spotted us.

"KEFKA PALAZZO! You get back here THIS INSTANT!" She shrieked as she ran, her hair following behind like a sea of tangled yellow. That woman held the title for best track racer in her time. Now she was showing it off.

"Crud! Well it was nice talkin' to ya! See you tomorrow! I hope…" Kefka said as he jumped up and started running around the weapon's shop. "Pray for me!" He yelled back as he ran across the grass. I stood there stunned trying to process what just happened in the last thirty seconds. The rest of the town stopped for a moment to observe the refined and sophisticated Mrs. Palazzo running around the town chasing her son like a crazed maniac. I finally moved and looked at the edge of town and saw a streak of red run near the edge of town followed shortly by a streak of purple. I shook my head and silently laughed.

"Xaria, dear? Time to come inside, dinner's almost ready." A voice said from behind me. I turned around and saw my granny standing in the doorway with her signature blue dress and sweet smile. I nodded and walked inside. She shut the door after me.

We walked to our living area of the shop and I helped her set the table and get everything ready for dinner tonight. Just as we finished setting everything out, my mother walked down the stairs. She had light brown hair and a soft blue dress on. She smiled as she came closer to us.

"Ah, so I see you two were busy." She said as she smiled. She leaned down to hug me and I hugged her back. She stood back up and looked at the clock. "Hmm, I believe Marcus will be getting home soon." She looked back and smiled at me and granny as the door handle clicked. She always had a talent of knowing exactly when something was going to happen. My father walked through the door and placed his bag on the counter. He stepped closer and hugged my mother, smiling.

"Anna, you look beautiful as always. Tell me, how is your book coming along?" He said as he leaned down to hug me. He was wearing his crisp and clean Tzenian soldier uniform. Dark blue with silver lining, our small little nation's proud colors. My father was proud to serve in the army of the Northern Lands. He grew up around weaponry and armor all his life, and chose to use his skills and knowledge to help protect his family and his neighbors.

"My book is coming along wonderfully, Marcus! I've written to chapter fifteen so far." She cheerfully replied. My mother was a major writer. She had already written three books so far. All about love stories that took place in ancient times when the world was filled with magic. Granny shook her head and ushered everyone to the table to eat. We all sat down and began eating and talking about how our days went. My mother talked more about her book with light in her eyes, Granny talked about the recent purchases and new sets of armor she's learned to craft from traveling crafters, I talked about my day or well hour with Kefka, and my father talked about his day at the Palace.

"Well, today at the Palace there was a visitor from the Empire who came to see the king on important business." He told us. "Apparently, their emperor, Emperor Gestahl I believe, wishes to sign a peace treaty with us to ensure both of our nation's security and well-being."

"It's a good thing that two nations sitting so closely together will be allies from here on out. Hopefully the Empire is as true as they seem." Mom said as she leaned against the table using her arms as support. Granny nodded.

"I agree…this so called peaceful emperor…who is he exactly?" Granny said with a distant look on her face. "He sounds rather…" She paused for a moment trying to think of the right word to say. "..suspicious… I wouldn't trust him or anyone from the Empire completely. For all we know they could be planning some malicious attack." She said while maintaining the blank look on her face.

"That is true. We spoke about that issue after the Imperial messenger left the Grand Hall. However, King Yani is prepared for the threat. After all, we know nothing of the Empire or the emperor like you basically said, Mom." He shrugged and went back to eating. He paused and thought for a moment. "But, it's worth a shot to give this peace treaty a try. Hopefully they are genuine enough. After all, what use would there be in conquering Tzen?"

"Maybe you're right, Marcus. I hope you are right…for all our sakes." She said in a chilling tone. I froze in my seat and stared at her. After a few minutes she snapped out of her daze and returned to her usual self. It was creepy when she did that. She just seemed so distant and far away.

After that conversation, we continued eating in silence. I couldn't forget the glazed look in my grandmother's bright blue eyes when she was in that state of mind. My mother looked at me with a questioning glance and I just shrugged it off and finished my meal. Once we were done, we all cleaned up our mess and put everything back to where it went. The sun started to set soon after, meaning it was time for bed.

"I do believe that we should all be heading off to bed now. I sense a big day is in store for us tomorrow." Mom said while looking out the window. She leaned down and kissed my forehead and whispered goodnight to me. Then she walked up the stairs into her room. My father did the same. Granny looked at me for a moment, then slowly began her ascension up the stairs. She stopped for a moment and looked back towards me.

"Tomorrow, I'll teach you about our family history, little one." I was confused at what she meant and this was obviously written on my face as my grandmother just chuckled and continued up the stairs. I stood there in the kitchen wondering what she meant by family history. I didn't even know we had one besides the fact that armor crafting has been in my family for generations. I thought she was going to began teaching me the skills I needed to begin my own crafting.

I yawned and looked at the clock. I climbed up the steps and tucked myself into bed, eager to go to sleep and begin my lessons in whatever my grandma wanted to teach me. Problem was, I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning. My mind was restless. I kept thinking about what it could be that grandma wanted to teach me that I didn't already know… I was also wondering what happened to Kefka after his mom caught him. No way he could outrun his mother…She practically had lungs of steel, and let's face it…he doesn't. I found myself falling to sleep as I softly laughed at my best friend's misfortune.


	2. Ancestory

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Except for Xaria and her family. Oh and Kefka's family…Other than that I don't own it!

Author's Note: I'm just getting through the beginning years…sorry if it's a little drabby at the moment. But you know…life in Tzen isn't that exciting. I know I skip places, such as at the dinner scene. But it's meant to seem awkward and quiet due to Kefka and Xaria's conversation that took place beforehand. Kefka is a troubled youth to say the least.

_Chapter II_

_Ancestory_

3 years left.

~Royal Republic of Tzen~

I walked down the empty streets with my basket of groceries Granny asked me to pick up. A slight breeze was in the air ruffling my white hair and light blue dress. It was a cloudy day today and I smelled rain on the winds, so I started to walk faster down the tiny streets and alleyways between the various houses and shops. All I heard were my footsteps on the cold cobblestone streets and the slight pitter patter of rain as it began to sprinkle a bit. I paused for a moment and checked to make sure my basket was closed, and when I was confident nothing would get wet, I continued walking down the streets. The rain was starting to pick up so I started walking a little bit faster than before in order to not get soaked.

"_Of course she asks me to go out on the DAY it's raining…"_ I thought bitterly. I had always hated the rain. Too wet, too cold. As I continued walking, I noticed my footsteps were starting to echo. I looked around me and saw that I was in town square with one wall behind and to my side and the long, narrow alleyway from where I came. I looked in front of me again and saw the huge open area where people usually hang out when it's sunny. _"Probably just my imagination…"_ The sky was getting darker and I had a hard time finding the passageway I needed to get home between two buildings. It was a small, narrow thing that was hard to find even in daylight. After what seemed like hours of searching, I finally found it and began to walk down the entrance to the maze-like corridor. The echo was starting to get louder so I quickened my pace and glanced down each twist and turn the maze had. The maze was a series of passageways and by using these you could get anywhere in Tzen as long as you knew where to go. Unfortunately, it was so small that there was nowhere to hide if someone was after you. I clutched my basket closer to my chest and held my head down as I blindly followed the path from memory. The echoes were getting closer and clearer. I knew that whoever it was, was after me. I started to take the next turn and noticed a presence was coming towards me. As I loo—

"HEY, XARIA!" I shot my head up and tried to save myself and the basket from falling over. I grabbed a windowsill and pulled myself back up. I paused a moment to catch my breath and clutched at my heart. As I slowly looked up, I saw none other than my overly flamboyant friend Kefka Palazzo. I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "Uh…why are you looking at me like that?" He started to slowly back away as he saw the expression of murder in my eyes.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, you butt munch!" I yelled as I tried to stop myself from slapping him. He flinched and held his arms up to guard his face. He had his teeth clenched and his eyes closed waiting for me to slap him, punch him, beat him, whatever he thought I was going to do to him. Am I that abusive of a friend? After a few seconds, he looked at me and lowered his hands. Then I hit him on his arm. "Gah!" I exclaimed," I thought someone was after me!" He started rubbing where I hit his arm.

"Owie..that really hurt." He said quietly as he was nursing his arm. Talk about over dramatic. I rolled my eyes. He was always trying to make me seem more violent than I really was. "I come to say hi, and I get hit. You're mean!" I rolled my eyes again and crossed my arms.

"You're so pitiful, Kefka." I said with a sarcastic tone. He smiled one of his goofy smiles and I slightly cracked a smile in response.

"So, what's in the basket? Do a little shoppin' for ol' Granny?" He asked breaking the tension from before. I gasped and quickly opened my basket. I checked everything and made sure it was all safe from when Kefka almost made me fall over. I sighed with relief when all the items seemed fine and he raised an eyebrow at my actions. "Um, anyways. My parents are out of town for a few weeks. Like always." He sighed and looked at the ground. "Kinda gets boring being alone all the time."

"Well you know you're welcome at our house anytime. Want to stay with us for a while?" I said. His parents do leave town a lot and the rest of his family lives nowhere near Tzen, if he even has more family members. So he just stays with us a lot. It's sort of become his second home, especially since he spends more time there than his own home. He looked up at me.

"You sure? I feel kind of like a burden to your family. I don't want to abuse your hospitality." He said sincerely. It was rare to see him this way, so genuine and sincere. He's usually goofing off somewhere, but he can be serious at times. I nodded and started walking through the passageway to the shop where I lived. I looked behind me and motioned for him to follow. He caught up and put his hands in his pocket while we walked together in silence listening to nothing but the rain falling on the cobblestone. When we finally arrived at the shop, I opened the door which caused the bell to ring. My grandmother came out from the back rooms. Her graying hair was in a messy bun and her dress was singed a bit. You can tell she had been crafting some new armor.

"Welcome back, Xaria, and it's nice to see you today, Kefka." She nodded to each of us as she straightened out her orange dress.

"It's nice to see you as well, Ms. Moretti." Kefka said with a smile and a slight bow. He can be polite when he wants to be. I raised my eyebrow at him, and turned back to my grandmother. "My parents are sort of away for a few weeks again…" He said with a fake chuckle.

"Well, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you want." Granny replied. She tolerated Kefka since he was my best friend, then grew to like him for his outgoing personality and ambitious air. She mentioned once before how she felt that he will get far in his life and therefore respected him. He mumbled a thanks after she said that and looked down at the ground again.

"Granny, I got the things you asked for….and I got rained on…again…" I said as I felt my hair dripping on the floor. I handed her the basket and she looked inside and smiled.

"Come in here and let's get you two dried up." She said as she led us into the kitchen. She handed us both towels and we tried our best to dry off. "I'll make you hot chocolate to warm you up. You both look positively freezing." She made some hot chocolate for us and we thanked her and went into the living room by the fireplace trying to warm up and dry off. We sat on the floor by the mini table and placed our drinks there.

"Why did your parents go away this time?" I said as I took a sip of my chocolate. He looked up at me with his sapphire blue eyes. He sighed and moved his finger along the rim of his glass before answering.

"More business in the Empire. They're gone for a lot longer each time. I wonder if they'll just move completely and leave me here alone. They're the self proclaimed 'Imperial Ambassadors representing the Royal Republic of Tzen'. At least that's what my mom always says to me." He said quietly.

"Your parents are oddly obsessive when it comes to the Empire." I said while looking down at my glass. I looked back up and met his eyes. "What do your parents even do there?"

"Beats me. They never tell me a thing other than that they're 'highly important'." He gestured with his hands and rolled his eyes. "I don't know...feels like I don't even have any parents." He propped his head up on his other hand and gazed deeply into the fire. I didn't know how to respond to that. Any words I could say or even think of would never comfort him. He always felt this way, and with good reason. His parents just didn't seem to care about him. We sat in silence for the next few minutes just quietly drinking our hot chocolate and staring into the fire.

"Dinner's ready, you two!" Granny called from the kitchen. Kefka and I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table and we all ate in silence. Tension hung in the air between us three. Granny undoubtedly sensed our stress from our earlier conversation and left us alone. My parents were absent from the dinner table because my mom was on a book signing tour across the continent to promote her newest book. The King gave my father the week off to accompany her on her tour. I took a moment and glanced at Kefka. His eyes were fixated on his meal that he barely even picked at. He used to be so full of energy and life, but now I only see him like that maybe two or three times a day. Other than that, he's quiet and reserved. He's been this way since his parents began traveling to Vector for their 'Imperial Affairs.' He noticed me staring at him and slowly moved his eyes up to meet mine. I quickly shot mine back down and focused on my dinner. After a few more long minutes that seemed like even longer years, we finished our dinners and cleaned up the kitchen.

"Well, Xaria." Granny said after we put the dishes up. I turned to face her. "It's time for your training.

"Oh yeah, that's right." I said while closing the cupboards. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Well today, I'm going to teach you refinement of the fire arts." She smiled. Kefka and I exchanged confused glances and she laughed. Kefka crossed his arms and I looked back at Granny.

"Um, refinement of what?"

"Advanced fire magic basically." I mouthed an 'o' in response. Four years ago, my grandmother told about half of my heritage and why our armor crafting is so highly sought after. My grandmother, my mother, and I all come from a long line of mage warriors. After the War of the Magi one-thousand years ago, only a handful of Warriors remained. They went to an island to live peacefully somewhere far off in the distance, save my family's ancestor. Our heritage is kept quiet to all outsiders, except for close family members and even closer friends. Our magic has significantly weakened from the time of the Mage Warriors, but we must still practice it in order to prevent accidents from happening. We only use our magic to help with our crafting. If the situation demands, we may sometimes use it for other things such as creating quick ice packs for when someone gets hurt. Kefka found out about my family's secret entirely by accident.

_Flashback to two years ago._

"_Come on…you can do it..."_ I focused my gaze on the water in the sink. Sweat beads were building up on my forehead as I concentrated. In my mind I felt the force of the water resisting me. I tried to follow my grandmother's advice. I closed my eyes and imagine the water flowing past me in a great sea. I pictured myself becoming enveloped in the water. I felt it move against my skin slowly, I heard it rush past my ears. I sensed the water running through my hair and turning it into a long stream of white behind me. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the water. I slowed my breathing and tried to picture the water gathering into a ball above the sink and slowly floating over to the pan. Little did I know, someone was walking down the stairs behind me. I felt no presence there. The water slowly started to rise in response to my will and drifted over to the pan. I let out a long breath and the water fell neatly into the pan. I heard a gasp behind me and quickly turned around. My eyes went wide as I saw Kefka staring at me. He eyes flickered between me and the pan. He mouth was open in surprise.

"Um, uh...I can explain!" I said trying to do some sort of damage control. He regained his composure and tried to speak, but could only mouth the words since he was still shocked. I quickly explained everything about my heritage and powers. He remained wide-eyed throughout the whole thing.

"I knew you were different, but not that different." He finally said after a long pause. He took a deep breath and smoothed his hair back. "Not that it's a bad thing." He shrugged. "And of course, I'll keep your family's secret. You know I could never betray you." He flashed one of his genuine smiles and I smiled back.

"I am NOT looking forward to telling this to Granny…" I said with a slight laugh.

_End flashback._

Now he just acts like it's completely normal for someone to possess magic. Lately, he's been watching me practice and Granny doesn't even mind that he knows. She understands she can trust him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kefka sit down in a chair a decent distance away from me. Granny smoothed her skirt and snapped her fingers. A small flame appeared on her fingertips. She stared intently into the fire as she spoke.

"So far, you know how to create fire using a medium, such as a candle. You can project your will onto the object and manipulate it enough to cause enough heat that it erupts into flames." She walked around the kitchen slowly while still staring at the bright yellow flame on her fingertip. "Well, today, I shall teach you how to create fire out of nothing." I saw Kefka scramble out of his chair and jump to the doorway almost falling in the process.

"Relax! I'm not gonna burn you!" I said crossing my arms. He stared at me with an irritated expression.

"Yeah, that's what you said last time before you set my hair on fire!" He replied raising the volume of his voice. He grabbed the bottom of his ponytail and winced as he softly stroked it. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger.

"You needed a haircut, what can I say…" I shrugged, then turned around and placed my hands on my hips smiling as I did so. Granny just chuckled at us.

"Talking about how I need a haircut when you have hair down to your waist…" Kefka grumbled to himself. I turned my head around slightly.

"What was that?" I said irritated. He looked up at me like he didn't plan on me hearing what he said.

"I said you have beautiful hair that goes down to your waist!" He said quickly with one of his cheesy smiles. I rolled my eyes and turned back around.

"Yeah, you better have said that…" I mumbled back contemplating whether or not to singe his hair a little bit. He was rather vain about it. _"Hmm…maybe I'll just burn something else of his…come to think of it he does wear that shirt a lot."_ I thought with a slight smile on my face. Granny raised her eyebrow at me. I shook my head and turned around. A big smile spread across my face as I faced Kefka. He looked terrified of what I might have been planning. "Oh, Kefka…" I said sweetly. "Isn't that your favorite shirt?"

"M-m-maybe…w-w-why d-do you want to know…" He said taking a deep breath. He tugged on the collar of his shirt and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Oh, no reason…" I smiled even bigger and he slightly slid behind the door trying to hide from me as I turned back around. I closed my eyes and held up my hands. I snapped my fingers and Kefka screamed.

"NO! MY FAVORITE SHIRT!"


	3. Growing Threat

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.

Author's Note: This chapter does not start out in Xaria's point of view, but it does go into her point of view later on. Trust me, you'll find out. I also got a little bit of help from my friend Balaura! Shout out! Ever wonder what the countdown was for? This chapter flicks to a lot of places in order to further along the plotline. I don't think it makes it confusing to read…It all ties in together.

P.S. Leo wears too much green.

_Chapter III_

_Growing Threat_

1 year left.

~Imperial Palace in Vector~

Footsteps echoed down the long metal corridor located deep beneath the main palace halls. The sleek gray walls were given a soft orange hue from the primitive torches still used and the unbearable stench of the everyday palace life slowly seeped through the cracks in the poorly-made ceiling. A solitary man dressed in green walked down the hallway. His long dark green cape swept across the hard metal floors behind him. His rust colored gloves covered the many scars that lined his hands and arms. A small, black belt holster held an old sword sheathed in a skin of black leather neatly to his side. An intricate yet simplistic design adorned the golden handle of the battle-scarred blade. Out of habit, he rested his gloved hand on the handle of the blade as he walked. His expression was stern and his head held high challenging all who dare look into his cerulean eyes. The murmur of voices became more defined as he drew closer to the doorway. The man slowly opened the doorway to reveal two soldiers in brown uniforms.

"General Leo, sir!" They said as they fell on the floor trying to salute. They scrambled back up grasping at air and pieces of paper until they finally were able to stand up straight. They sharply saluted and one hit the other in the face with his elbow. The man known as General Leo just stared at them in disbelief.

"How did you two pass the Imperial Examination…"He wondered aloud. The two men looked at each other and saluted again.

"Sir, we don't know, sir!" They said in unison. Leo blinked and stared at them for a few moments then sharply shut the door making them both jump.

"Disregarding that…" He shrugged. "Biggs, Wedge, report!" He called out to the two men.

"Yes, sir!" They said. They quickly turned around to the small desk behind them. They started opening drawers and crawled down to look underneath the desk.

"Uh, where's the map?" Biggs whispered as he shut the bottom drawer.

"I don't know, you had it last!" Wedge exclaimed.

"Did not!" Biggs said glaring at Wedge.

"Did so!" He stomped his foot down, raising his voice.

"Did not!" He yelled as he hit Wedge in the head.

"Soldiers!" Leo boomed. Both men froze and slowly turned around to face their superior commander.

"Y-y-yes, sir?" They said in small voices.

"Would you by any chance be looking for the map on the table?" The general nonchalantly said as he gestured his hand towards the table in a sweeping motion. Biggs and Wedge stared at the table with blank expressions on their faces.

"Oh…" They said quietly.

"I told you I didn't have it!" Biggs exclaimed as he hit Wedge on the head. Wedge softly rubbed his head where Biggs hit it.

"You don't have to be so mean, you know…You didn't know where it was either!" He whined. General Leo stared at the two bickering soldiers with an annoyed look on his face.

"Would you two kindly get to the point?" He finally said in a strained voice with his eyes screwed shut. Both men blinked and looked at him. Wedge took the map and unrolled it in front of General Leo. Biggs took a pencil and marked a few positions on the map.

"Alright, sir. This is us." He circled the small drawing of a castle. "And this is the Empire's next target to the north." He circled a picture of a village near the mountains.

"Tzen?" Leo asked surprised. "I thought we were on peaceful terms with the Republic."

"We were, sir…" Wedge shifted his weight to his other leg and sighed. "But Gestahl wants more…He's greedy and arrogant...forgive my words, but it's true…" He said as he crossed his arms.

"I'll overlook that this time, Corporal." He said glancing towards Wedge. "So we're to target our allies now?"

"Seems like it, sir." Biggs shrugged. "We can't do much about it, the Emperor would surely see to that."

"Then I suppose it's settled." Leo stood up straight with a sad look in his eye. "Our invasion and takeover of the Northern Lands is to commence in exactly one year…"

~Tzenian Royal Palace~

"King Yani, the Empire is not to be trusted…they have already occupied Albrook and Jidoor. It's only a matter of time before they set their sights on us in the Northern Lands."

"I understand that, Cleo. But truthfully, we have no possible way to defend ourselves if the Empire were to launch an attack on us. The only thing we can do is protect our citizens from the onslaught. This false peace is fragile but it still means we have time to gather up our own troops. Are there any other still free nations that we can call upon the aid of?" King Yani said despairingly. He stood on the farthest edge of the meeting room looking down at the map. His short brown hair was streaked with gray from stress over the past few years. He wore black pants and a loose fitting dark blue button-up shirt. The Royal Tzenian crest hung from a small chain he wore around his neck. The only other piece of jewelry he wore was a small simple wedding band around his left ring finger.

"Unfortunately not, sir. Maranda is too close to an Imperial Base to assist us, and the other nations are either too close or too small." Marcus Moretti said sadly with his hands on the edge of the table while looking down at the map. King Yani slumped down in his chair and put his hands on his temples.

"Then all we can do, is prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome…" He whispered.

~Royal Republic of Tzen~

"A lot more soldiers on the street recently." I said as we walked down the streets. I turned my head towards the soldiers in their dark blue uniforms saluting to attention as their commanding officer approached them.

"Probably something to do with the Empire like usual." Kefka replied. "Which reminds me…my parents are supposed to return from Vector today." He said in a monotone voice.

"They haven't been back in Tzen in over a year. It's going to be kind of weird not having you around so much anymore." I said without trying to hide the tone of sorrow in my voice.

"I know..can't say I'm too thrilled about it either…" He sighed. "But who knows, they may have changed in the past year." I turned my eyes towards a man softly playing his guitar to a group of children outside of the inn. The tune was slow and sort of sad, almost befitting of the current mood. Kefka chuckled after a short moment of silence. I turned to face him. "Who am I kidding…they can't change…all they care about is themselves." He finished sadly. We continued our walk home in silence, unaware that we were being watched.

~Palazzo Manor~

An older woman in a dark scarlet dress looked out of the dusty window. She cursed at the ill manner of the housekeeping as she wiped the window with her lacy sleeve. She only managed to smear the window even worse so she gave up and tried to focus on the two children walking down the street. What she could manage to work out was a girl in a soft grey dress and long white hair walking next to a boy in a bright red shirt and blonde hair. The old woman turned around as she heard someone walking up towards her. She tucked a strand of graying blonde hair behind her ear. She looked up at the tall man approaching her.

"He's still hanging out with that rat's daughter, Eric." The woman said. The man stopped and moved his gaze to the window to see the two children walking down the street. Her father was the one who almost caught us reporting to the Empire."

"I doubt the little brats know anything. But it is better to play it safe…" He crossed his arms and fixed his gaze on the woman in front of him. "God knows what would happen to us if they did find out…"

"It doesn't take God to know what would happen to us! We would be executed! Immediately! You know how fragile these situations are. If we're caught in the middle…" She exclaimed. Eric put his hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. He walked over to the window and placed his hands on the windowsill. He looked intently at the young girl.

"Relax, Victoria, we can do whatever it takes to make sure the Moretti girl is out of the picture once and for all."

~Royal Republic of Tzen~

I sat at the table twirling a white lily. As usual it was pretty boring. We just finished cleaning up after dinner and Kefka left a little while ago after his parents sent for him. It was the first time in months we've been apart, and to be honest I kind of missed him already. We'd usually be arguing about something stupid right about now. My daydream was interrupted when I heard the bell on the counter in the shop area ringing. My grandmother ran to the other room and I followed after her. When I walked into the room, there was a short woman with gray hair swept up in a neat bun and a pale blue dress.

"Good afternoon, how may we help you?" My grandmother said smiling sweetly to the woman.

"The Palazzos sent me here to relay a message to the Morettis." She said swiftly in a harsh voice.

"We're the Morettis, what is it they have to say?" Granny replied cautiously. I knew she never liked Kefka's parents, not that she had any reason to. They were always rude to us.

"They instructed me to inform you that their son is no longer allowed to see your little girl for reasons that shall not be disclosed." The news hit me like a rock. I couldn't believe that my one friend in the entire town was being taken from me. We've practically been inseparable since birth, I didn't know how I was suppose to live through my days anymore. I ran to my room upstairs and fell onto my bed crying.

I spent the next few days locked up in my room. My family gave up trying to talk to me and chose to leave me alone. The only interaction between us was when they put a plate of food in front of the door every so often during the day. I sat on the windowsill in my room and propped my head against the glass. There was a full moon out tonight so the streets were lit fairly well. I gazed out to the seemingly never-ending forest that lined Tzen's Western side. I thought I heard a small tap somewhere but I continued staring at the forest. I heard another tap and snapped out of my mindset and looked down at the ground. I saw someone that looked like Kefka in a blue shirt waving to me. I jumped down from the windowsill and crept downstairs into the shop. I slowly opened the door and looked behind me for a few seconds before stepping out. As I ran closer to him I thought it was all just some elaborate dream and I actually fell asleep on the windowsill. When I finally reached him he softly smiled and put his hand on my cheek.

"Oh, how I've missed you these past few days." He whispered.

"I've missed you too. It's been kind of hard being without you these past few days." I replied. He scanned the area with a worried look on his face.

"Follow me, we should talk somewhere less noticeable." He said grabbing my hand. He led me through the forest into a small clearing in the forest. The clearing was absolutely beautiful. The grass was a lush green with softly colored flowers. The entire area was bathed with a soft blue glow from the full moon above. He let go of my hand and walked towards the center. He sat down and motioned for me to follow.

"When the maid came to get me this afternoon, both of my parents were waitin' at the front door." He began as I sat down. "My mother grabbed me by my arm and pulled me inside. Then they started yellin' at me for no reason and locked me in my room and said that I could never see you again. I overheard a conversation between my mother and father talk about your father and somethin' about almost getting caught. I'm not sure of the details, but I know for a fact my parents aren't who they say they are. When my mom was yellin' at me and even when I overheard her talkin' she sounded paranoid like somethin' bad was gonna happen at any moment."

"Hmm…well my dad hasn't said anything about it, then again I haven't been around them much lately. This is actually the first time I've left my room." I replied. "It might have something to do with them leaving for Vector all the time." He nodded and looked down at the grass.

"I've considered that as well…if it's true, my parents might be spies for the Empire." He said softly as he played with a piece of grass.

"And my dad has been talking about how the Empire is taking over smaller kingdoms to the South such as Albrook…" I realized suddenly. I gasped quietly and looked up at him.

"And if what I said is true….Tzen could be next."


End file.
